Record filing device



Jam. 27, 1948. M. B. HALL Er AL 2,435,077'l RECORD FILING DEVICE Filed Aug. 28, 1944 2 sheets-sheet 1 Jan 27, 1948- M. B. HALL Er AL RECORD FILING DEVICE Filed Aug. 28, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Jan. 27, 1948 RECORD mINGDEvIcaQ... Marchand B. Han and sylvanK. netter-iran, c1114.

caigo,

Ill.,` assignors to Acme Visible Records., Inc Chicago 111- a' corPQPaQIl Qpelafwre.

.y application August 2s, 1944. seriaiNrts'Lli v. claims. (o1. 12e-4e) This .invention relates to improvements in visible recordgiiling devices, and particularly to a cabinet for verticallysupporting accounting and the likeloose leaf record cards of the class whereinthe cabinet. is widerv than the individual cards and the-cards are provided with notches opening to their lower edgesand thereby engageable with spaced bars extending longitudinally of the cabinet'base soasvtopermitthe cards to be filed and positioned in the form` of a series-or group of overlapping cards or in laterally offset echelons, and to separators or dividers for the card echelons.

It is a particular object of the present invention to provide an improved main divider or separator forrecord. filing devices of the foregoing class adaptedfor resilient cooperative engagement with the filing cabinet whereby thesaid divider may be quickly and with ease interlockingly engaged with or disengaged from the cabinet, butfwhich remains in rm pivotal engagement therewith in operative useso as to inhibit tendency of the loose leaf record cards from riding upwardly and becoming displaced. Y

Further objects relate to other details of the main divider construction, the cabinet construe..- tion, sub-dividers, and an improved capacity adjustment member, together with the advantages and economies thereof which will be apparent fromaconsideration of the following specification and drawings, wherein:

Fig. lis a side elevational view of a loose leaf record'card filing cabinet, embodying our invention, with parts broken away and parts in section.

Y Fig. 2 is a relatively enlarged, fragmentary transverse sectional view of the cabinet of Fig.'1 illustrating in detail the cooperative engagement means between a card separator and ther cabinet, in accordance with our invention.

Fig. 3 is a section on theline 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a section on the line 4--4 of Fig. 2;

of Fig, 1 illustrating a main divider panel and its cooperative relationship with the cabinet.

Fig; 6 is a transverse section on the line 6-6 of Fig. l illustrating the end capacity adjustment panel and its cooperative relationship with the cabinet.

s Fig. 7 is a transverse section o n the line 'I--lV of Fig. 1 illustrating ai Sub-'dividerjpanel in cooperative relationshipwith'the cabinet.

- Fig. 5 is a transverse section on the line 5--5r Referring totthe drawings, Fig. .l illustrates; a loose' leaf record,lingcabinet` comprising.` a. pair of Vparallel sidewallsd'and a pair ofincline'd end walls .I I,.the end Wallsl I. c'zonvc'erging towards each other adjacent'the'baseof'the cabinet, the cabi,.- net being mounted on suitable supporting legs or standards such as I2. "By reasonof the inclined end walls, the. operator or, user of the. filing cabinet maybe Conveniently .seated yfacingo'neend thereof, ,the inclined end wall providing knee access to Aenable the body loftheoperatorto be brought relatively close to ,the Vcabinet .and to facilitate use. thereofina .seated position.y The cabinet is furtherl provided withja bottom l3, the bottom being. secured between. the side v walls A I0 and recessed within'theend .walls II inrsuitable transverse notches,` -.such as notches. I4 or I5, placed atvariouslevels and whereby the base of the cabinet I3 may be elevated or lowered to suit the height of the record cards' andtdividers to be employed therewith. l. i y. L.

Thebase of the cabinet vlf3 is provided with a plurality of equally spacedlongitudinally extending bars I6 `seated-.into"and projecting from the surface thereof,ffthe..bars I6. being. adapted to extend intothelower marginal edges of theloose leaf Arecordcards I'Iand tobe embraced by the downwardly opening` notched areas I8 thereof, to retain the cards against 1ateralmovement,and in 'desired off-'set or echelon formation. The base I3 may be further provided, between the spacer bars. i6, with inserts I9y oftractive material vsuch as corduroy orthe. likepile fabric to prevent undue or undesirable Vslippage of vthe cards I'I longitudinally of thecabinet. v

As previouslydndicated the cabinet and the respective dividerstheifefor formed in accordance with the present invention, are adapted for vsubgporting a specific but generally conventional form of loose leafrecordcard in'agene'rally .vertical position', and forthis' purpose the relationship of cards II and theirnotchareas I8 with the spacer bars IB, is conventionahso as, to permitan echelon,

of cards toV be" extended. transversely ofthe cabinet in edgewise overlapped relationship, the cards being Vmaintained in laterally spaced overlapping relationship byfymeans of the aforesaid card notches and'cabinejts'pacer bars, the cards being generally overlapped' as indicated by .the dotted 1ne.S..1.r1,lFS-`5,lggards.of. thisclass conventionally 3 employ a signal or marking which is normally covered or concealed by an adjacent card when an adjacent card is moved or drawn out of position.

It is also conventional in filing devices of the class described to employ relatively heavy or rigid elongated separator or divider panels since the width of the cabinet is much greater than the width of any individual card, and in operative use, to gain access to a desired card, entire echelons of cards I1 are moved pivotally about their lower edges. Likewise it is conventional to form such dividers or separators with relatively thickened frames or side edge pieces, and to provide a separator or divider between each two echelons of cards so as to prevent undue pressure of the dividers on the card echelons and thereby inhibit their displacement from normal position. A

In accordance with the invention we provide main divider panels generally indicated as 9, comprising a generally rectangular side rail member 28, which may be composed of metal, wood or plastics, a pair of side rails 20 supporting between them a panel 2| composed of suitable material such as plywood, densified fiber board or the like, the panel piece 2| being preferably provided with suitable apertures 22 for relief of entrapped air in operative use. Conversely the rails 20 are preferably provided with longitudinal grooves 23 extending along each side thereof to provide cushioning air pockets between adjacent divider panels.

The side rails 20 of the main dividers terminate in a bifurcated lower end portion defined by the inner leg 24 and the outer relatively longer leg 25. The leg 24 is tapered to dene a substantially knife edge parallel to the plane of panel 2 I, the leg 24 providing pivotal support for the divider on the base I3, and as will be noted the lower marginal edge of the panel 2| is held between the opposed end rails 28 in spaced relationship to the spacer bars I6 so that the divider panel may be freely pivoted on the base I3 and without binding engagement of the panel 2| with the bars I6.

'I'he relatively longer legs 25 of the side rails 20 extend freely into the longitudinal channels 26 formed between the cabinet side walls and the supporting base I3. In the illustrated construction, the grooves 25 are formed by flanges 21 extending laterally adlacent to the lower face of the base |3 in spaced relation to the top surface thereof, and in rabbeted engagement with the longitudinally extending mounting strips 28, the strips 28 being secured to the cabinet side walls lll by suitable screws as indicated at 29.

The ends of the legs 25 are formed arcuate and provided with concentric frusto-conical laterally projecting bosses 30 having their axes in alignment with the knife edges of the legs 24 for cooperative engagement with angular retention pieces or shoulder strips 3| which are secured to the members 28 and extend thereon longitudinally of the cabinet.

As previously indicated the side rails 20 are formed of material such as wood,` metal, or plastic and the divided or relatively thin section thereof which forms the leg 25 is resilient. Thus, when a divider panel 9 is positioned within the cabinet to extend transversely thereof, the legs 25 of the side rails 29 and their laterally projecting bosses 30 are brought into yielding abutting engagement with the longitudinal locking strips 3 I, and by slight downward urging movement, the legs 25 are caused to ilex and to by-pass the shoulder element 3| and to Vbe thereafter held in yield- 4 able locking engagement within the slots 26, with the panel 9 resting on the base I3 by means of the tapered legs 24 and being permitted to freely pivot thereon. In this manner the dividers 9 are permitted to be pivotally moved and the echelons cf cards spaced at their upper edges in the direction of the inclined end walls I I, and at the same time the dividers 9 are held in yieldable locked 'engagement suilicient to prevent their accidental displacement during normal use of the ling device and to thereby prevent undue upward riding or displacement of the cards I1. The dividers 9 may be removed when desired by merely drawing them upwardly against the resistance of the resilient leg 25 and the retaining shoulder member 3|.

VAs previously noted and as diagrammatically indicated in Fig. 1, two main divider panels 9 may be employed adjacent to each other with a single echelon of cards I1 between them, or one or more subdivider panels generally indicated as 32 may be employed between each pair of main divider panels 9, so that a supporting or divider surface such as that of the main panel 9 or subdivider vpanel 32 is provided for each echelon of cards.

The subdivider panel 32, similar to the main divider panel 9, is composed of an elongated sheet of ber board 33 or the like, although the board 33 may be of relatively lighter weight than the panel 32, the panel 33 being similarly provided with air relief apertures 3 4. The panel 33 is reinforced at its top and side edges preferably by means of a metal band 35 which extends to and terminates in the leg pieces 36 at the lower edge of the panel, and panel 33 being undercut and set so thatfthe lower edge thereof is maintained in spaced relation to the spacer bars I6 to permit free pivotal movement of the panel 32 on the base I3.

The subdivider panel 32 is provided with a suitable index tab 31, the tab being preferably composed of an overfolded relatively heavy strip of transparent material to provide a pocket for the reception of index data. In a similar manner the main divider panel 9, as illustrated in Fig, 5, is likewise provided with index tab 38 which may be of similar construction to the tab 31 but the main divider panel 9 is additionally provided adjacent the right hand side rail 20 thereof with an additional strip of overfolded relatively heavy plastic material to provide a hand hold 39 for pivotal manipulation of the main dividers, this hand hold 39 being of relatively heavier construction than the tabs 31 and 38 so as to prevent undue use of the tabs 31 and 38 and the damag ing thereof in turning echelons of cards and particnlarly groups of cards and interposed subdividers or main dividers.

In order to compensate for greater or lesser number of contained card echelons in the filing device and to prevent undue slippage of the cards other than for their pivotal spacing, an end capacity adjustment member generally indicated as 48 is provided. This member 4I) may be composed of an elongated strip of sheet material 4| of wood or liber board terminating in legs 42 which are adapted to rest on the base I3, the lower marginal edge of the panel 4I being spaced between the legs 42 from the bars I6. The panel 4I is provided with movable locking bolts 43 adjacent the upper edge thereof for locking engagement in apertures 45 provided in longitudinally extending strips 44 secured to the sides I0 of the cabinet, when the panel 4I is in an inclined position` ThelockingV bolts 43 are slidably mounted in retaining. collars 4.6 provided on va channel member 41- `which is' secured to the panel 4| by means of rivets and serves to reinforce the panel. As ,will beunderstood, aser'ies of 10Ckng-ape ,turies'45` are provided'so that the panel'. end ,4l may be locked in desired position depending' ipon the contentsV of the' cabinet; and iin an inclined gpo'sition, with Vthe panel 4I .substantially parallel .tothe rear end wall I`I; p-

' The'sides I0 of( the cabinet are formed with grooves 48 to receive a roll top cover of the usual articulated construction to protect the records from damage or unauthorizeduse. f

AsgshoWnun Fig. 1, thepside-rail members 20 of the several main dividers 9 are adapted to rest against each other and to be supported in an inclined plane, with the subdivider members 32 disposed therebetween. In using the file, the selected main dividers may readily be pivoted upon the knife edges formed on their inner legs 24 and it will be observed that they are maintained in proper spaced relation at their lower ends by means of the abutting arcuate ends formed on the legs 25, as illustrated in Fig. 4.

While the legs 25 rhave been described as being resilient to permit detachable interlocking engagement with the retaining strips 3|, it is contemplated that the same detachable interlocking engagement may be obtained by forming the retaining strip 3l of resilient material for yieldably resisting movement of the frusto-conical bosses into and out of engagement therewith.

We claim as our invention:

1. A record ling device of the class described comprising a cabinet having a base formed with a pair of upwardly opening channels extending longitudinally thereof adjacent the sides of the cabinet, and a separator extending transversely of said cabinet, said separator comprising a pair of side rails each bifurcated at their lower ends to define a pair of legs, one of the legs being adapted to pivotally support the separator on said cabinet base and the other of said-legs being flexible in a direction transversely of the cabinet and adapted to extend freely within rsaid channel. a locking rail, and means on said flexible leg engageable with said locking rail for retaining said separator in yieldable engagement thereby.

2. A record ling device of the class described comprising a cabinet having parallel side walls, a base and inclined end walls converging toward said base, said base being formed with a pair of upwardly opening channels extending longitudinally thereof adjacent said side walls, and a card separator extending transversely of said cabinet. said separator comprising a pair of side rails each bi-furcated at their lower ends to define a pair of laterally spaced legs, one of the legs being tapered and adapted to pivotally support the separator thereby on said cabinet base and the other of said legs being relatively longer and flexible in a direction transversely of the cabinet and adapted to extend freely within said channel, locking means extending laterally of said flexible leg, and shoulder means extending longitudinally of said channel for engagement with said locking means for retaining said separator in yieldable engagement thereby.

3. A record filing device of the class described comprising a cabinet having a base formed with a pair of upwardly opening channels extending longitudinally thereof adjacent the sides of the cabinet and a record card separator extending transversely of said cabinet, said separator comotallyA support therseparator thereby-on 'saidcabinet -base` and-the. outer vlegs being relatively longer vand flexible in a direction transversely fof `the cabinet and. adapted .tolextend `freelywithin said channel,- a f frustoconical projection; extend- -ing laterally from-#reaches of 'Jsaidia outer; legs,`iai1d '.retaining shoulders' extending "longitudinallyof said cabinet and projecting over lsaid` channels for engagement lwith' said' frusto-conical projections for retaining-saidseparator in yieldable pivotal engagement therewith. Y

4. A record-filing ldevice ofthe class described :comprising a cabinet .having parallel side walls, a base and inclined end walls converging toward said base, said base being formed with a pair of upwardly opening channels extending longitudinally thereof adjacent said side walls, and a card separator extending transversely yof said cabinet, said separator comprising a relatively thin apertured panel substantially equal in width to that of the base between the channels and a pair of relatively thicker side rails engaged to sides of the panel, each of said side rails being bifurcated at their lower ends to deiine a pair of laterally spaced legs, one of the legs being tapered and adapted to pivotally support the separator thereby on said cabinet base and the other of said legs being relatively longer and flexible in a direction transversely of the cabinet and adapted to extend freely within said channel,A

locking means extending laterally of said ilexible leg, and shoulder means extending longitudinally of said channel for engagement with said locking means for retaining said separator in yieldable engagement thereby.

5. In a record filing device having card dividers, supporting surface means for said dividers, a pair of spaced parallel locking rails extending parallel with said divider supporting surface means, said dividers having side rails, knife edges formed on the lower ends of said side rails for pivotal engagement with said divider supporting means, the lower ends of said rails also being formed with arcuate end portions laterally of and projecting below said knife edges and having the axes of said arcs in alignment therewith, and locking means provided on the arcuate end portions of said side rails for yieldably detachable locking engagement with said locking rails.

6. In a record filing device having card dividers, supporting surface means for said dividers. a pair of spaced parallel locking rails extending parallel with said divider supporting means and in spaced relation thereto providing channels therebetween, said dividers having side rails each terminating in stepped dual lower end portions, the inner of said stepped end portions being adapted to rest on said supporting surface and to retain said dividers in pivotal relationship thereover, the outer of said stepped end portions projecting below the former and being adapted to extend freely into said channels and including means for yieldable locking engagement with said locking rails.

'1. In a record filing device having card dividers, supporting surface means for said dividers,

. a pair of spaced parallel locking rails extending parallel with said divider supporting surface and in spaced relation thereto providing upwardly opening channels therebetween, said dividers having side rails each terminating in stepped dual `fiowener'lc4 portons,.the inner, of saidteppedni ,portions beingtformerd wthtknife:` edges :f or pvot- 7ally positioning the dividerspnad Supporting surface, ,the outer of said stepped ends-,being -formed witharcuate terminal,pnrtionsfadapted l fto,extend,free1y into said channels, andmeans .projecting vlaterally from said terminal A,portions .-for vVielgiable engagement xavithsfidf locking mails, the side rails of each dividerbeingqarrangedfior Number abutment against theiderails,nfadiacentdb d0 ,3,26118749 viders .and of sufcientthicknessltorenclose cards `and .suhdividenpanels between .the dividers.

A- Thevfollowing referenes apre qf zjecord in the Number 

